United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to convene in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday. The primary objective of the summit is to explore avenues for establishing common ground that could potentially lead to a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Trump previously raised concerns regarding the utilization of Indian crude oil purchases, suggesting they were indirectly financing Russia’s military operations in Ukraine. This meeting represents a critical step towards improving relations between the US and Russia and could possibly assist India. Ahead of the summit, Trump expressed optimism about Putin’s willingness to pursue peace. The meeting is set for August 15 at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson in Alaska. Trump stated that he believed both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would be amenable to peace. He further elaborated on plans for a follow-up meeting with Zelensky, potentially including European leaders, deeming it potentially more significant than the initial encounter.
“We have a meeting with President Putin tomorrow. I think it’s gonna be a good meeting, but the more important meeting will be the second meeting that we’re having. We’re gonna have a meeting with President Putin, President Zelenskyy, me, and maybe we’ll bring some of the European leaders along, maybe not,” he said. “We’re going to see what happens. And I think President Putin will make peace. I think President Zelensky will make peace. We’ll see if they can get along. And if they can, it’ll be great,” he added. Trump referred to the Russia–Ukraine conflict as “Biden’s War.” He also stated that he believed the conflict would not have occurred under his presidency. He added that he would be able to determine in the first two minutes if a deal could be struck.
